USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll: UCLA Football Receives Votes

The college football season is only a few weeks away from kicking off, and the first major poll of the year has been released.

UCLA football earned 10 points in the preseason USA Today Sports AFCA Coaches Poll on Monday, securing the Bruins a spot in the receiving votes section. UCLA is tied for 40th overall alongside Boise State.

The Bruins had seven points heading into the 2021 campaign, making this their best performance in the preseason coaches poll five years into the Chip Kelly era. UCLA did not appear in the 2018 or 2020 preseason polls, but did earn two points ahead of 2019.

Alabama was the runaway favorite at No. 1, while Ohio State and Georgia made up the next tier by splitting the remaining first-place votes. Utah came in as the highest-ranked team in the Pac-12 at No. 8, with Oregon slotting in at No. 12 and USC at No. 15 behind them.

Five total teams from the Pac-12 received votes from the coaches – the three in the top 15, plus UCLA and Oregon State, which earned two points.

An early climb up the polls could prove difficult for the Bruins, who open the season with nonconference matchups against Bowling Green, Alabama State and South Alabama. UCLA's conference opener is against Colorado, which was picked to finish last in the conference's preseason media poll in July. There is a chance that a 4-0 start may not hold enough weight to vault them into the top 25.

UCLA made it all the way up to No. 13 early in 2021 after opening the year with wins over Hawaii and LSU. The Bruins fell to No. 24 following their loss to Fresno State and climbed back to No. 20 by beating Stanford on the road. A loss to Arizona State knocked UCLA out of the top 25 for the rest of the season, and they did not receive any votes in the postseason poll despite finishing the year 8-4.

The Bruins have not earned a vote in any postseason coaches poll since Kelly took over in 2018.

The full USA Today Coaches Poll is listed below:

1. Alabama, 1634 points (54 first-place votes)
2. Ohio State, 1564 (5)
3. Georgia, 1542 (6)
4. Clemson, 1356
5. Notre Dame, 1284
6. Michigan, 1282
7. Texas A&M, 1219
8. Utah, 1134
9. Oklahoma, 1027
10. Baylor, 891
11. Oklahoma State, 859
12. Oregon, 734
13. North Carolina State,  726
14. Michigan State, 711
15. USC, 602
16. Pittsburgh, 450
17. Miami (FL), 433
18. Texas, 383 (1)
19. Wake Forest, 381
20. Wisconsin, 369
21. Kentucky, 353
22. Cincinnati, 339
23. Arkansas, 334
24. Ole Miss, 327
25. Houston, 257

Others Receiving Votes: Iowa 248; Penn State 246; Tennessee 163; Brigham Young 152; Louisiana State 143; Auburn 98; Central Florida 55; North Carolina 34; San Diego State 25; Fresno State 21; Mississippi State 19; Florida 17; Utah State 12; Air Force 12; UCLA 10; Boise State 10; Appalachian State 10; Minnesota 6; South Carolina 5; Kansas State 4; Iowa State 3; Army 3; UL Lafayette 2; Southern Methodist 2; Purdue 2; Oregon State 2; Coastal Carolina 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Louisville 1; Florida State 1.

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